Crossing the line: Pakistan strikes deep in Iranian territory • FRANCE 24 English

Crossing the line: Pakistan strikes deep in Iranian territory • FRANCE 24 English

Let’s got some more analysis I’m here with our International Affairs editor kavan gorjestani kavan welcome to the program um who are these militant groups that both side say they’re targeting on the other side of the Border uh well uh these are uh two groups that operate in regions that are along that border

Between Pakistan and Iran it’s a very long border 900 kilometers as we see there so there is Balochistan which is uh in Pakistani territory and there is cyan and baluchistan the province that is in the Iranian territory now both of the groups that were targeted are ethnically balot uh both are waging

Armed Insurgency against uh the states that are on opposing side so uh you have those in the sistan and baluchistan uh area that are targeting pakistanis and uh the baluchistan group that are targeting the Iranian forces the Iranian state uh and both countries blame each other so the governments of both countries

Blame each other for sort of giving Safe Haven uh to uh these groups now on one side you have ja Al Adel which is a Sunni group that’s been targeting uh the Iranian government and Iranian forces and then you have the baluchistan Liberation Army and baluchistan Liberation Front which are groups that

Are uh targeting the Pakistani uh forces so there is a common ground there is a common regionality to this but there is one group that has a religious aspect to it because the group that is targeting Iran is a Sunni group that is targeting a majority shiai uh uh country that is

Uh Iran and this Insurgency on both side has been sort of simmering for more than two decades so it’s not a new uh thing but it seems to have boiled over if you will in this case okay and you know in the last hour or so we’ve had the EU you

Expressing quote utmost concern over these uh this deterioration of relations between Pakistan and Iran we’ve got Russia urging maximum restraint they say that’s just come out in the last hour or so as well I mean how some people be wondering has it got to this point between tan and Islam Abad well there

Have been some questions as to uh the motivation initially of Iran to strike first uh on those groups now both countries are saying that they are targeted specific militant groups that these are not attacks on either one of the states uh but the fact is that while these insurgencies have been going on

For uh about two decades as I was saying uh there has never been this level of uh retaliation from either side the pakistanis really uh targeting deep into uh Iranian territory the Iranians also uh doing a pretty big strike if you will and the motivation for Iran is still uh

Unclear and the reason why uh Pakistan retaliated is clear but the scale of that retaliation is something that they have not really done before and it’s a line that uh even the us or the Israelis have never crossed with Iran which is striking so deep into Iranian territory

But there are certain aspects uh of context that could explain why these strikes are happening now for Iran there is growing pressure after uh that that attack on car on earlier this year a couple of weeks ago that left more than 80 people killed that were was claimed

By the Islamic State group the Iranian government’s Under Pressure to uh sort of uh strike back if you will and so they’re saying that these militant groups have some sort of ties with the Islamic State group as well as with Israel so it’s all a big of a mix and

Then for Pakistan their elections coming up and next month they have to show that their army is ready to retaliate and will not let anyone strike on their territory so that could explain but it’s very unclear why this has really escalated the way it has right now

Pakistan’s military on Thursday hit back Iran with air strikes deep in its neighbour’s territory, leading to heightened tensions between the two countries. The strikes imperil diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Tehran, which have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks. FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani brings you this analysis.
#Pakistan #Iran #air strikes

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